Wire-bound crate.



H. G. MEAD. WIRE BOUND CRATE. APPLICATION FILED P13111 1911.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

UNITED 'STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

HOWARD G. MEAD, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO' WILLIAM I. HEALY,O1? CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WIRE-BOUND CRATE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 1, 1911. Serial No. 605,910. Y

To all ywhom 1f-may concern Be it known that I, HOWARD G. MEAD, acitizen of the United States of America, and resident of St. Louis,Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvefollowing is aspecification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of Wire-bound boxes and cratesof that kind in which the sides are Ina-de from blanks composed ofsheets or strips of veneer or other similar material flexibly connectedtogether by wire or other similar binding and reinforced at their edgesby cleats secured to the inner surface thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a crate which is made in themanner of the ordinary wire-bound box, except that instead of havingt-ightor closed sides it is made with sides composed of slats which arespaced apart to provide the crate Wit-h open spaces in the sidesthereof, and in which the construction is such that during the making ofthe blank no mechanical provision is necessary for spacing the slatsapart to form the openings in thesides of the crate, the formation ofthe cleats being all that is necessary for this purpose, such formationbeing also adapted to insure a better and more satisfactory attachmentof the binding Wires than was possible ivith the methods heretooreproposed for making Wire-bound crates, as will hereinafter more fullyappear.

A To these and other useful ends my invention consists in matters4hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure l is a perspective of a Wire-boundcrate embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation or edge view of the wire-bound blank from which the sides ofsaid crate are made. F ig. 3 is an inside plan view of the said blank,with a portion thereof broken away for convenience of illustration. Fig.4e is an end elevation of the crate shown in Fig. l, with the coverthereof open and partially broken away for convenience cover areflexibly con- LL wi vn and a. Cover D. The saidat I by the sharp ends ofthe b2 in the upper surface of each end thereof to receive the slats andthereby make the latter l flush with the said outer surface of the ment1n lVire-Bound Crates, of which the z cleats. Thus each side consists oftwo slats and tivo cleats, and the slats are properly spaced apart bythe formation of the cleats.

, The bottom C consists of three slats c secured to tivo end cleats c1said cleats having end and middle recesses or gains c2 in the outersurfaces thereof to receive the said sla-ts. The cover D is like thesaid bottom, as will be seen from the drawing, and does not, therefore,need further explanation. The said cleats, as shown, are allstep-mitercd at their ends to engage each other uhen the blank isfolded, and at such time the slats preferably lap at the corners of thecrate as the recesses or gains at the ends a are open at the outer sidethereof. The ends of the cleats may, however, have any suitable ordesired formation. The end walls A are nailed or stapled to the cleatsin any suitable manner. As shown, these end walls arc of such size thattheir edges, which arc straight, do not. extend to the outer. edges ofthe cleats, whereby each cleat has a portion of its inner surface leftuncovered. It is in this uncovered or outer portion of each cleat thatthe .gains or notches are formed for the slats.

During the making of the blank, on asiliu `Patented N ov. 4, 1913.

able machine, no mechanical provisimis arc necessaiivv for spacing thcslats apart on the cleats, as the formation of the cleats is sufficientfor this purpose. Furthermore, the staples G by which the binding wiresof the .blank are secured in place are all driven home, even those thatare inserted in the cleats at points between the slats. In this Way thebinding wires are all secured in place ina proper and effective manner`and there is no necessityv for making the stapler skip the spacesbetween the slats. The staples that pass through the ends of the slatsenter the cleats to secure the latter in place on the inner surface ofthe blank. The cleats ofthe cover are, of course, not fastened to theend Walls. The ends of thc Wire are twisted `together and then bentaround inside of the crate, as shown, Wherewire will not be likely to doany damage.

The recesses or gains in the cleats are very important, as they not onlyin eect provide. integral raised portionsthatspace the slats apart Whilethe blank is being made, but also serve to prevent displacement of theslats after the box is finished. and permit the wires to'lbe securelyfastened-'at points In other words, the' between thel slats. raisedport-ions, which are preferably integral with. the cleats. not onlyspace the slats apart, but also support the binding wires horizontallybetween the slats.

What I claim as my invention is:

A Wire bound crate comprising end Walls.l cleats secured along the edgesof said end walls, with the outer edges of the cleats disposed adistance outside of said edges of the end walls, thereby leaving aportion of each cleat uncovered by the end wall secured thereto, thesaid uncovered portions of the cleats having; gains therein. slatsdisposed in said gains. Flush' with thc einer edges of said cle-rits,binding iviies streiihed around the crate, staples for securin both thebinding wires and slats, in place, and other staples for securing thebinding' Wires directl; to ille cleats between tlvl slats. said slitsspaced apart to provide the eran? with side cpc-nings, and said cleatshaving tongues occupy ing said spaces, to Which tongues said wires aredirectly secured. as' setfortl'i.

- Signed by ine at St. Louis, Mo., this 27th dav of January 1911.

HOWARD G, MEAD. Witnesses: 4

D. H. JoHxsoX, E. F. JOHNSON.

